This is it: the 2014 Saab 9-3 sedan

Armed with a new lease on life and a manual transmission, the Saab 9-3 is back

Originally published: December 6, 2013

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Under the ownership of National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), the Saab 9-3 began rolling off the production line again earlier this week.

It might not look too different from the one that went out of production in April 2011, probably because it’s practically the same car. It goes on sale in Sweden on Dec. 10 with a price tag of 279,000 krona, or roughly $45,000 Canadian.

The 9-3 still uses a 2.0-litre turbo-four engine, good for 220 horsepower. The new 9-3 uses fewer GM parts and best of all, a manual transmission is standard equipment. According to NEVS president Mattias Bergman, an all-electric 9-3 will join the lineup early next year.

NEVS will introduce a facelift to the electric 9-3. Specific powertrain details haven’t been announced yet, but Quingdao has ordered 200 of the electric 9-3s for its Chinese fleet. In addition to Sweden, sales of the electric 9-3 will expand to China, but as it currently stands, a return to the rest of Europe and North America is up in the air.